West Wind
by wikelia
Summary: Modern AU. Hiccup needs a lot of things - namely, cooking lessons, more buyers for his art, and a wingman to set him up on a date. What he doesn't need is his twelve year old daughter showing up at his front door, claiming that she'll be living with him from now on.


_**zeph·yr /ˈzefər/ noun **_

_**1\. a soft gentle breeze**_

Hiccup recognized the girl as soon as he opened the door.

She wasn't the spitting image of him. But her hair was a perfect mixture of Stoick and Valka's hair colors, but braided in a way that was so very Hofferson. The rest of her face reminded him of the girl he had grown up with as well, except for those obvious freckles - Astrid's had been more subtle. And her skin was lighter than his own slightly darker brown one.

As for her eyes, he might as well have been staring in a mirror.

"Zephyr?"

She looked up at him, a bright smile growing on her features (which was a little unnatural, since Astrid spent most of her time scowling). "Dad!"

She stepped forward and hugged him tightly as Hiccup's eyes widened, his hands stuck in midair. In the only picture he had of Zephyr, she looked like she could fit into his arms and now...now…

Hiccup panicked inwardly, trying to count the years. She wasn't a teenager yet...was she? He had been...nineteen when she was born and now he was thirty-two, so...she was just on the edge of her thirteenth birthday, if he remembered everything correctly. She was twelve. Oh, gods, he had a tween on his hands.

No matter how old she was, she had definitely inherited Stoick's strength. Hiccup nearly groaned from the tight hug she was giving him.

"Hey, hey." He pulled back and put his hands on her shoulders, frowning at her. "How did you get here?"

"Doesn't matter." She revealed a small suitcase behind her and Hiccup's panic increased tenfold as she trotted in. "I'm staying with you now!"

"W-what?" He closed the door behind them as she set her suitcase down near his desk and got onto his twin bed, peering at his laptop.

"Oh, you're watching Game of Thrones? Can I watch?"

It was telling that he didn't know whether or not a twelve year old could watch Game of Thrones, but honestly, some parts scarred even him, so he wasn't going to take the risk and say yes. This whole thing was ridiculous, it wasn't even his answer to give - she wasn't his kid. Well, she was, but he hadn't raised her!

"Whoa, whoa, Zephyr." He closed the laptop and pushed it aside as he sat down in front of her. "What are you doing here? Did something happen to Astrid?"

At the mention of her mother's name, Zephyr's face morphed into one of great dislike.

"I don't wanna go back to her." She crossed her fingers and pouted, looking up at him. "I'll get a job, earn my keep. Please just take me in, Dad."

Hiccup ran a hand through his hair, perplexed. Some fight must have occurred between mother and daughter - a fight he did not want to be a part of. He wasn't even supposed to be meeting Zephyr, let alone taking her in and helping her hide from Astrid.

He was still marvelling that this was his daughter. She was so grown up, and she was tall for a twelve year old and she had definitely inherited his lankiness.

And he too had run away from home.

Hiccup sat down slowly, trying not to meet her expectant, eager eyes. Zephyr was grinning widely, her fingers still crossed in a pleading manner as she watched him.

"Zephyr," he began slowly, "you know I can't do anything without knowing what happened, right? You have to tell me."

"Nothing happened," she said stubbornly, sounding so convincing that he almost believed her.

He sighed and tried to remember what he was like at that age, and what Astrid was like, when they weren't too busy insulting each other. "Okay. This is the first time I'm - first time I'm ever meeting you. It's...a lot."

"I know." For the first time, she looked a little sheepish. "Sorry I sprung this on you."

"It's okay," he said, only half lying, because it wasn't like he hadn't wanted to meet her - he would have if he could have. "But I don't know you. I know your mom, though, and unless she's the strangest mother in the world, she's probably losing her mind worrying about you right now."

Zephyr frowned. "Let her worry."

"I'm sorry, but you need to explain. You can't just move in like this without telling me why."

What could Astrid possibly have done to illicit this response?

Zephyr sighed, her eyes falling to the floor before meeting his - and wow, she really did have his eyes. Her lips were pursed, and her fists were clenched.

"I found out why you guys broke up."

Hiccup's eyes widened slightly and he bit his lip before hesitantly asking, "And why is that?"

Zephyr looked confused, but she crossed her arms and said with a scowl, "Because she cheated on you."

Son of a bitch.

"That -" He caught himself before he let out a select choice of words, biting down on his tongue. "Dirtbag."

She giggled, and Hiccup, with a jolt, realized how nice it was to make his daughter laugh. It broke him out of his thoughts for just a second, and then he was back to thinking about how good it would feel to punch a certain blonde capitalist in the face.

"Exactly," Zephyr said with a smug grin. "So I can stay with you?"

Hiccup closed his eyes for a second, letting out a deep breath before opening his eyes and looking at her.

If only it was so easy! If only he could tell her yes, and screw the consequences. If only he could hug her, and ask her to tell him everything he had missed out on. In the two minutes he had known her, Zephyr was more spectacular than he could have imagined, with a rebellious streak and a lot of nerve.

If only it was Astrid he was insulting.

If only he couldn't stop imagining her pained face when she realized Zephyr had run away.

Hiccup chose his words carefully. "Zephyr...your mom cheating on me...that's not the whole story."

It wasn't any of the story, but he wasn't sure how much he was allowed to tell her.

"I don't care. We could have all been together if she hadn't."

Hiccup resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. He didn't want to hurt Zephyr's feelings, and if it really had been as simple as Astrid cheating on him, he would have agreed with her.

But it just couldn't be that nice and easy, could it?

"Listen…" He bit his lip. "You're a smart kid. You know you can't stay here with me, right?"

She started to pout again. "Please, Dad. Pretty please. Please please please -"

Ah yes, the annoy to death tactic, always a fan favorite.

"I'm sorry, Zephyr," he said honestly, looking at her as sincerely as he could, "but I can't take you away from your mom."

She groaned, standing up and walking over to the small window and crossing her arms. Hiccup looked down, sighing.

So this is what that rotten old bastard had done to them. Now his daughter was going to hate both him and Astrid. He scowled. It wasn't fair.

A quiet minute passed, and then he asked hesitantly, "Do you want me to...escort you back home?"

It was such a bad idea. But seeing the way Zephyr's eyes lit up at the suggestion made it worth it.

Besides, things were different now. The man might not even be around anymore, so he may have no reason to worry about what his coming back would mean for, well, everyone. And the idea of a frantic Astrid looking for Zephyr was becoming more and more painful by the second.

She hugged him again, her tight grip nearly breaking his bones as he awkwardly put his hands on her shoulders. Well, it was a start - he really had no idea how close he should let himself get to her.

As he pulled her just a little closer, Hiccup wondered if he was being selfish.

It wasn't really in question. He definitely was.

* * *

Hiccup fastened his belt, then raised a brow at Zephyr, who was slouching in her seat. With a sheepish grin, she fastened her belt as well, taking a deep breath.

"Afraid of flights?" he asked, genuinely wanting to get to know her better.

She scoffed, brushing her bangs out of her face and raising her chin proudly. "Never. Even in amusement parks, I always go on the highest rides. Mama calls me a thrill seeker."

Hiccup's heart drummed a little in his chest.

"_Imagine," he whispered dramatically, hands on Astrid's waist from behind as they both gazed up at the tallest ride in the park, "some punk calls you a coward. You turn around proudly, whipping your hair -" Astrid snorted - "and say that you've been on the Drop of Doom, so no one had better mess with you."_

_Her arms were crossed, and her lips were quirked into a small smirk. "And what happens if this imaginary punk has been on it too?"_

_He shrugged. "I don't know, I didn't think that far. Punch him."_

_She poked his chest. "You know, I'm starting to think this is less about my hypothetical fist fight, and more about you being a thrill seeker."_

"_You're not wrong." Hiccup grinned. "So, we in?" He held his palm out, silently daring her to take his hand._

_Astrid's eyes gleamed with a warrior-like spark as she placed her hand in his._

"_Oh, we're so in."_

He cleared his throat, sitting up straight. Just the fact that he remembered that interaction so vividly meant...well, it meant that he was in way over his head. It meant he simultaneously wasn't ready to see Astrid, and that he had never been more ready in his life.

Maybe he just had to focus on something else.

Like how Zephyr had crossed states by train, all by herself, just to find him and get away from Astrid. If she had done all this simply because she heard that Astrid had cheated on him, years ago, then her moral code was definitely more...well, moral, than his had been at her age.

She'd been raised a good person. And she was a little crazy, because now she had been missing for almost two days.

She was raised like this, all without his help.

"Dad," Zephyr whispered loudly, "do you have any movies saved on your phone?"

Hiccup turned to look at her, furrowing his brows. "Yeah, but I don't know if it's anything you'll enjoy. Just two Bollywood movies -"

Zephyr gasped dramatically, clutching his leather jacket. "Which ones?"

He smiled, raising a brow curiously. "You watch Bollywood?"

"Duh." She sat back in her chair, the same spark in her eyes that Astrid would always have - the one that told everyone not to challenge her. "Mama has to watch them with subtitles, but I've been taking Hindi classes since fourth grade."

Hiccup whistled lowly. "Impressive."

It wasn't that he thought Zephyr would be restricted from enjoying her own culture. But he had thought it a little bit. After how he'd been treated, he supposed they'd had to watch it when the asshole wasn't around. Zephyr had already confirmed they hadn't moved out, despite his most desperate hopes that Astrid would have.

They waited a few minutes after the plane took off before Hiccup took out his phone and earbuds and they watched _Dil Chahta Hai_ together. Zephyr was attentive the whole time, humming along with the songs (rather pointedly, as though to say "See? I've watched it before!").

By the time the film finished, there was only ten minutes left until they landed. Hiccup knew that the Hofferson household was about twenty minutes from the airport.

He took a deep breath as the plane finally landed, his stomach jumping the second they touched the ground. They had arrived.

Hiccup was finally home.

* * *

"Are you worried?"

Zephyr was looking at him expectantly as she munched on the potato chips he had bought her at the airport. Each time, Hiccup looked at her, he saw something new - this time, it was the very light mole on her right cheek.

He did his best to smile. "Uh, it's just...it's been a long time."

She nodded understandingly, before biting her lip. "Did you...did you ever wanna come back, before?"

Crap. Fuck.

_Shit._

He should have seen that question coming.

Hiccup took a deep breath, looked into her eyes, and lied, hating himself. "I thought about it sometimes. But I couldn't. I was...hurt."

The truth was, he had one solid reason to never want to come back.

He had been hurt in ways than she could ever guess.

The second the large house came into view, Hiccup's breathing sped up, and he rubbed his knees in an attempt to calm himself down. If Zephyr noticed, she didn't say anything. Instead, she slouched in her seat with a low groan.

"I don't wanna see my mom."

Hiccup hesitantly placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hey. Don't be too hard on her, okay? There's…" He thought very carefully about what to say next. "There's a longer story, that you haven't been told yet."

Zephyr narrowed her eyes. "Will you tell me?"

Hiccup sighed. "Maybe. Just, please don't lash out at your mom."

"I'll try," she grumbled, "but you can't blame me if I don't wanna talk to her."

"No," Hiccup said, as the taxi parked in front of the Hofferson house. "I suppose I can't."

He took his time getting out and paying the driver while Zephyr, now with her bag of chips finished, bounced from one foot to the other impatiently. She grinned as the cab drove away, and Hiccup swallowed nervously. He looked at the driveway, only seeing one car. He was about to ask whose it was, but Zephyr had already run up to the door and rung the doorbell.

Hiccup clicked his tongue, then let out a shaky breath as he followed her.

The door opened, and a woman that Hiccup had never before opened the door. Her eyes widened when she saw Zephyr, immediately pulling the girl into a hug. She had short black hair and bangs that fell into her eyes, and two giant hoop earrings hung from her ears. She couldn't be any older than he was.

"Zephyr! What -" She looked up and saw Hiccup, who tried his best to look like he didn't want to run away. "Who are you?"

"It's fine, Aunt Fel," Zephyr said, pushing against the woman's hug. "I'm alright! He's my dad!"

Aunt Fel?

"Your…" She shook her head, as though trying to clear her thoughts. "Is that where you've been? With your father? Zeph -"

Hiccup stepped forward, holding out his hand. "Hi, I'm Hiccup. Zephyr came to my apartment, I think her and Astrid had a fight of some kind, I'm just here to drop her off. I didn't mean to - to cause any problems."

The woman opened and closed her mouth a few times, her hands still wrapped around Zephyr protectively. She cleared her throat, and then finally spoke.

"So you're Hiccup."

He smiled weakly. "Guilty."

She looked down at Zephyr, a silent question in her eyes, as though she was wondering just what the younger girl had gotten them all into. Then she looked back at him.

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you. I'm Felicity."

Hiccup furrowed his brows, thinking back to what Zeph had just called her.

Aunt Fel…

"Are you Arthur's wife?" he asked incredulously, not meaning to sound as rude as he did.

Her lips quirked into a rueful smile. "Guilty."

Hiccup actually grinned, thinking of his old teammate. He had never even gotten a chance to say goodbye to Arthur, and now he was here, looking at the man's wife. Suddenly, he felt out of place, like he was still nineteen, and had just traveled to the future. A part of him had been imagining everything would be the same. Clearly, things had changed.

"Come in," Felicity said, beckoning him in with a hand, her other arm draped around Zephyr's shoulders.

He followed her inside the house - which looked completely different. The picture of Astrid and Arthur hanging above the foyer table was gone, replaced by an expensive-looking painting. The chandelier above the stairs had been replaced with a shinier one, glittered with jeweled LEDs. The carpet leading into the living room was red instead of green.

Generally, it looked like the Hoffersons had only gotten wealthier as time had passed.

Lucky them.

They walked into the living room and Zephyr went into a room (which was probably a study) as Hiccup turned to Felicity. "I'm sorry for just barging in. I hope I'm not intruding."

"Not at all." She put a hand on her hip. "Right now, I'm just relieved that Zephyr is back. And don't worry," she added, lowering her voice, "Arthur's told me everything."

He let out a sigh of relief. He really hadn't wanted to play the victim of cheating with anyone else.

"Where's Mama?" Zephyr asked as she came back in.

"Out with your uncle again, looking for you," Felicity said pointedly. Zephyr looked just a little guilty. Felicity sighed and ran her fingers through her bangs. "Can I get you something to drink?"

He was about to decline, but honestly, the weight of all this was starting to take its toll, and he wasn't as energetic as he used to be.

"Water, please."

She nodded, going into the kitchen as Zephyr flopped on the couch, looking up at him. "It's not like I stayed away for good. It's only been a day."

"People can go missing in a day." He gave her an amused smile as he sat down next to her. "How long do you think it takes to kidnap someone?"

Zephyr shrugged as Felicity came back with the water. She sat on a chair across from him, and Hiccup could feel her eyes on him, probably sizing him up based on what she knew about him.

Arthur had told her everything...and she probably knew more about their situation than he did. At least Astrid's side of the story, which, while he could guess what had happened, wasn't exactly clear.

Hiccup bit his lip. "Have you called Astrid?"

"No. They'll be back any minute."

Hiccup's stomach flipped again. "And, er...Mr. Hofferson?"

Felicity let out a puff of air, her eyes falling on Zephyr as she said stoically, "Out at the company."

Hiccup nodded, breathing a little easier.

That was, until he heard the door open a minute later.

Zephyr seemed to shrink down into the sofa, hugging a pillow to her chest tightly. Hiccup stood up.

His heart was pounding so loudly he wondered if Zephyr and Felicity could hear it.

His stomach twisted violently when he saw a mop of long braided blonde hair - and it wasn't even Astrid. Arthur Hofferson, her older brother, had just walked in, already talking, his eyes on Felicity.

"No luck, we -"

The woman cleared her throat loudly and Arthur turned his head, his eyes widening when they fell on Zephyr and then narrowing when he looked at Hiccup.

It took him a few seconds, but then a look of recognition entered his eyes, and he whispered, "Holy shit."

Yeah, that seemed about right for the moment.

They stood still for a few seconds before Arthur raised his voice, without taking his eyes off him. "Hey, uh, Ast, stay in the foyer for a second! I gotta - I gotta talk to you -"

Hiccup's breath hitched a little when he heard a voice answer.

"Arthur, we need to get back out there, there's no time to talk -"

"_Hiccup!" Astrid shrieked, her nails digging into his palm as they went down. "You little - I hate you - oh my gods!"_

_She let out a string of curses after that, making Hiccup laugh. His stomach had jumped too - both when they dropped and when she gripped his hand so tightly. He almost had to remind himself that this was all fake._

_But right then, it didn't matter. All that mattered was Astrid half laughing and half screaming, her hair flying up and out of the loose bun it had been in. _

_She looked...so beautiful._

He had been afraid, in that moment.

And now, after nearly fourteen years, Hiccup Haddock stood frozen to the spot as Astrid Hofferson walked in. She looked like she hadn't slept in days, with dark bags under her eyes and her shoulders sagged. Her bangs were curled and they framed her face, heightening her icy blue eyes just like they always had. Dressed in a light blue tank top and jeans, she was rubbing her temple tiredly.

Then she came to a halt when she saw Zephyr, crying out in surprise. Without even a glance at anyone else, she ran towards her, their shoulders brushing as she hurried past him and wrapped Zephyr in her arms.

"Oh my gods, Zeph! I've been so worried, where were you?" She pressed a relieved kiss on her head, turning her face to check for bruises or scars. "Where have you been, where did you go?"

Zephyr merely scowled, trying to pull away. Astrid kept her grip on her daughter, not letting her escape.

Arthur still hadn't taken his eyes off Hiccup. "Astrid…"

"What is it?" She turned to look at her brother, and it was only then that her head snapped back to the man two feet from her, and unlike Arthur, she didn't need any time to recognize him. He could see it in her eyes immediately.

A loud gasp escaped her lips as her hands loosened and Zephyr finally got away. The blonde slowly stood up, her eyes wide and her hand over her mouth.

Their eyes locked and in that moment, they were back at the amusement park, both a little scared, both a little daring.

"Hiccup."

They were finally reunited.

"Astrid."

**Please review!**

**Alright! I am so excited about posting this, I've been working with this idea for ages, and we're finally posting! I'm planning for like...a five chapter story here. I've already posted three stories in this universe, two on Tumblr and one on and A03. However, this is. It. The big one. I really hope you guys like it.**


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